Morphological Unit (1) (1)

Revealing the natural complexity of fluvial morphology through 2D hydrodynamic delineation of river landformsWyrick J.R., Senter A.E., Pasternick G.B., (2013)

Evan Norman - Geographic Information Analysis - 2.27.2015

Shaded relief map of a streambed

What is a morphological unit (MU)?

“Topographic forms within the river corridor that represent distinct form-process applications.”

-Controlled by ecohydraulic variables-Near-census-In this study, applicable at lengths ~1-10 times W

How are MUs delineated?

Hydraulics (water flow)

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DEM and LiDAR data (Landforms)

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MU

Why are MUs calculated?

-Describes underlying landforms in a river with 2D modeling

-Habitat assessments

-Subjectivity

-Changing flow conditions

-“Ideal” conditions

-Increasing MU types

-Overlap of zones

-Flow direction

Drawbacks

Example MU delineation procedure for a lowland gravel-cobble river

-Spatial Analyst- Raster calculator

-Irregular shapes

-Precise

-Thresholds are adjusted by discharge in model

More about MU mapping..

Example MU delineation procedure for an upland cobble-boulder river

Conclusions:

How do riffle-pool sequences correlate with discharge?

How are MUs distributed?

Lateral or longitudinal variability?

Spatial scales.

Riparian species.